All foreign citizens,
including children, require a visa to enter India. Please do
not finalize your travel arrangements to India before
obtaining the Visa and fulfilling the requirements of Visa.
The following are some of the links from where you can know about the
Visa
requirements, Visa extension, Restricted areas in India, export regulations
and even download the Visa application form.

The citizens of all
the countries requires a valid passport and a visa to enter
India. The visa can be obtained from an Indian Embassy. A double
or multiple entry Visa is required while you are visiting Nepal and
then again entering India. Some of the general requirements in
order to obtain visa are as follows:

You should
have a passport valid for at least six months.

You should
provide prescribed visa fee.

You should also provide two passport-size photographs (five photographs in case
of Pakistani nationals).

You should also provide some documents,
wherever necessary.

You should submit the duly completed
visa application form (Pakistani and
Bangladeshi nationals need to apply on special application
forms).

The tourists from various other countries
are advised to check the current applicable visa fee or visa
extension fees with the Government of India Tourist offices or Indian Consular offices
located in their respective countries. The validity of the visas is counted from the date of their issue.
You can stay in India only for six months with a tourist or
business visa, but a
valid visa can be for more than six months.

In an
effort to prevent international child abduction, many
governments have initiated procedures at entry or exit points.
They requires documentary evidence of
relationship and permission for the child’s travel from the
absent parents or legal guardian. These documents facilitate entry
or departure.

Some of the visas
which are required are as follows:

Tourist Visas:
Tourist Visa is a
multi-entry visa, granted for the purpose of tourism. The
tourist visa is valid from the date of
issue for a period of more than 180 days. Tourist Visa can also be
obtained for 3 months, which is valid from
date of first entry into India, that entry should be within 2 months from
date of issue.

Collective
Visas:The Collective visas are given to the
people traveling in a group of not less than 4 members and
sponsored by a government recognised travel agency. Such
groups may split into smaller groups to visit different places
in India after obtaining a collective "license to travel" from
Indian immigration authorities. They must reassemble and
depart as the original group. Transit
Visas:Transit visas are granted by Indian
Missions abroad for a maximum period of 15 days.
Employment Visa:The Employment visa is
issued to skilled and qualified professionals or persons who
are engaged or appointed by companies, organizations, economic
undertakings as technicians, technical experts, senior
executives, etc. Before obtaining the visa the applicants are required to submit proof of
contract or employment given by the
company or organization.

Exemption from
Registration:Foreigners coming to India on
tourist visas for 180 days or a shorter period are not required
to register themselves with any authority in India. They can
move freely in any part of the country, except in certain restricted
and prohibited areas.

For extending the
period of Visas you need to
apply with a letter of permission to theMinistry
of Home Affairs
Lok Nayak Bhavan, 1st
floor Khan Market, New Delhi 110003 Phone: 24693334,
24612543, 24617649

Thereafter the letter is to be
presented to the
FRRO (Foreigner’s Regional Registration
Office).
The office of FRRO is located
at:Hans BhavanTilak Bridge, New DelhiPhone:
23319489, 23318179Timings: 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and 2 pm to
4 pm
(weekends and national holidays closed)

There are certain
states in India which need special permit before they can be
visited. These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Manipur, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Kashmir,
himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The permits are no longer required to
visit Darjeeling, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Nagaland
There are certain areas in the state of Nagaland which have been designated as
protected or Restricted area. The foreigners cannot enter these areas without
special permit. These permits need to be issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs
at least 4 weeks before the date of the expected visit.

Manipur
According to the government of India's new policy, various places are open for
the tourists that were under the Restricted Zones like the Loktak Lake, Imphal,
Moirang INA Memorial, Keibul Deer Sanctuary and Waithe Lake. The foreigners as
well as the Indian tourists can visit Manipur for 3 to 6 days only in a group,
and the individual tourists are not permitted. The permit to visit Manipur can
be obtained by the all Missions abroad, FRRO, MHA, state government of Manipur,
Home Commissioner of Manipur. You can also reach Imphal from Calcutta by taking
a flight only, and not by another mode of transport.

Mizoram
There are certain places in Mizoram under the Restricted zones which the
tourists are permitted to visit. These places are Vairangte, Thingdawl and
Aizawl. The permit can be issued by the Home Commissioner, Government of Mizoram,
Aizawl, All FRROs at Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta, Chief Immigration Officer,
Madras and all Indian missions abroad. The tourists can visit the specified
places only for 10 days and individual tourists are not allowed.

Certain places in Sikkim like Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodong, Dzongri, Pemayangtse,
Khechopari and Tashigang have been excluded form the inner line and declared as
restricted areas and the tourists are permitted to visit only these areas. The
tourists can stay in Sikkim for 7 to 15 days. The permits can be issued by MHA;
all FRROs; All Indian Missions abroad, and Immigration Officers at airports at
Mumbai, Calcutta, Madras and New Delhi; Chief Secretary or Home Secretary of
Tourism department, Government of Sikkim, Gangtok; Inspector General Of Police,
Government of Sikkim, Siliguri; Deputy Directors (Tourism), Sikkim Government,
New Delhi; Assistant Resident Commissioner, Government of Sikkim, Calcutta;
Tourism Officer, Rangpo; Deputy Commissioner, Darjeeling and Deputy Secretary or
Under Secretary of Home Department, Government of West Bengal, Calcutta.

2. Dzongri, West Sikkim

MHA and all issuing authorities of Sikkim government and its representatives at
Calcutta, Siliguri and Rangpo can grant the permit to the tourists to visit
Dzongri. The tourists can visit these places only in a group and not
individually for 16 days. If they are interested in trekking, they must be
accompanied by a liasion officer for 15 days only.

3. Changu Lake in East Sikkim

Home Secretary, Government of Sikkim, Gangtok can issue permit to the tourists
to visit the Changu Lake in West Sikkim. The tourists can visit these places in
a group only during the day.

4. Mangan, Tong, Singhik, Chungthang, Lachung and Yumthang

Mangan, Tong, Singhik, Chungthang, Lachung and Yumthang are certain restricted
areas in Sikkim for which the permitted ares are required. Home Secretary,
Government of Sikkim and Secretary of Tourism, Government of Sikkim can issue
the permit to the tourists for only 5 days.

AndamanandNicobarIslands
The foreign tourists can visit the Municipal Area in Port Blair for both day and
night. But can visit rest of the places like Havelock Island, Long Island, Neil
Island, Jolly Buoy, South and North Cinque, Red Skin in night only. Mayabunder,
Diglipur, Rangat, Mount Harriet, Madhuban are the other places where only day
visits are allowed. The permit is also required before visiting such places. The
authorities that can grant permit are MHA, all FRROs and all Indian Missions
abroad. To visit the Red Skin and Mayabunder, the permit need to be obtained
from the Immigration Officer, Port Blair.

LakshadweepIslands
The foreign tourists can only visit Bangaram and Subeli Islands. They can obtain
permits from the Lakshadweep Administration, Wellington Island, Cochin.

ArunachalPradesh
Itanagar, Ziro, Along, Pasighat, Miao, Namdapha and Sujesa (Puki) Bhalukpong are
certain places in Arunachal Pradesh which are considered as the Restricted or
Protected area. The tourists can visit only these places in a group for about 10
days only and the individual tourists are not permitted. To visit these places,
a special permit is required. This permit can be obtained from Home
Commissioner, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar, all FRROs at Delhi,
Mumbai, Calcutta, Chief Immigration Officer, Madras and all Indian Missions
abroad.

Kashmir
The tourists can visit the certain areas in Kashmir which are divided into three
different sub divisions like Khaltse, Nubra and Nyona sub divisions. The foreign
and Indian tourists can visit these places only in a group for 7 days. There
should be only 4 to 20 members in a group and they should be accompanied by the
liasion officer. The MHA and the concerned District Magistrates can grant the
permit to the tourists to visit these areas. For more information, you can
contact Indian Missions abroad or the Ministry of Tourism, Delhi, India.

HimachalPradesh
There are certain places in Himachal Pradesh which are described as the
restricted areas for trekking purposes according to the Government of India's
new policy. These areas are Poo - Khab - Sumdho - Dhankar - Tabo - Gompa - Kaza
and Morang - Dabling. The individual tourists are not permitted to visit these
areas. The permit to visit these places can be obtained from MHA, Government of
Himachal Pradesh; DM; SDM; lTBP; Special Commissioner of Tourism; Resident
Commissioner, Government of Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi and Director General of
Police, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla.

UttarPradesh
Nanda Devi sanctuary, Niti Ghati and Kalindi Khal in Chamoli, Uttar Kashi
districts and adjoining areas of Milam Glacier are some of the Protected areas
in Uttar Pradesh for which the special permit is required. The authorities that
can grant permit are MHA, Government of Uttar Pradesh, DM and SDM of the
concerned state, ATBP and lTBP. The individual tourists are not permitted to
visit these places.

The
foreign tourists can take back all the articles brought by him
in India. They can also take back the Souvenirs including Indian silk, wool, handicrafts, without any limit
and gold jewelry and silverware up to Rs.100,000 (in excess of Rs.100,000
only after obtaining an RBI
permit). Other jewelry and precious stones
of large value should be appraised by Customs Appraiser at the
airport. For these items an RBI permit should be obtained in
advance and thereafter declared to Customs. There are
restrictions on the export of antiques and art objects more
than 100 years old.
The export of the wildlife products is also strictly prohibited,
therefore one should generally avoid buying articles of ivory,
reptile skin, tortoise shells and any part of wild animals.
Certain Duty Free shops are also located at the airport.